


The spheres are in commotion

by Wolfsheart



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bruce can switch back and forth to Hulk now, Canon Divergent, F/M, Nerd boy and nerd girl fall in mutual nerd like, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Post-Endgame, Prompt Fic, Two scientists falling into a crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:41:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28909497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsheart/pseuds/Wolfsheart
Summary: Bruce forgets that he's got a meet-up with Jane when she returns from Iceland for research.  They've been exchanging emails for a while, and it seems as if a crush has developed between them.
Relationships: Bruce Banner & Jane Foster, Bruce Banner/Jane Foster
Comments: 8
Kudos: 6





	The spheres are in commotion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [scottxlogan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/scottxlogan/gifts).



> Prompt given to me by scottxlogan from the [Fanfic Prompt List](https://teadrinkingwolfgirl.tumblr.com/post/640593516879380480/fanfic-prompt-list) on Tumblr. She left it up to me which pairing I picked, but this was the prompt: 
> 
> _12\. “You’re a genius with facts, but you’re really stupid with people.”_
> 
> Accompanies [The indefinite unshapen dawn with vacant gloaming](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28687197).

Tony's words echoed in Bruce's head, so much so that he nearly fucked up the experiment he was running with two very volatile chemicals that would've destroyed the freshly rebuilt Avengers base. A year had passed since they defeated Thanos on the battlefield, and Tony had spent a great deal of Stark Industries money to redesign and construct the base from the mess it had been left in post-war. Bruce worried that Tony would deplete what he, Loki, and Morgan would need, but Tony had assured him that his company was good for it and then some, especially with Pepper's leadership and brain at the helm. 

_"You're a genius with facts, Bruce, but when it comes to interpersonal relationships with people, you're kinda dumb," Tony had told him between bites of dried fruit the last time he'd visited his lab. "You need to get out more. You need to date. You've gotten more control of the Dr. Bannerkyll and Mr. Hulkyde thing, and you're capable of not smashing everything in sight when you're green, so what's keeping you from putting your name on Stark-dot-Match?"_

Bruce hadn't known what to tell Tony. He didn't date because he hadn't dated since things went south with Betty. After all, they couldn't be intimate. They couldn't even make out without his blood pressure threatening to bring out the Other Guy at a time when the Other Guy wasn't so congenial. Worse than that was Betty's arrogant, dangerous, self-serving bastard of a father who still wanted nothing more than to strap Bruce to a table and extract his blood so he could create an army of rage monsters for the military. General Thaddeus Ross was no different from Hydra in that respect, and it always made him want to check Ross' credentials to see if he was just one of the many heads waiting to grow back. 

He rushed to move the foaming beaker away from the rest of the lab equipment, immediately storing it inside a safe cabinet that he locked until the reactions calmed down enough to dispose of. Bruce heavy-sighed and leaned back against another table, rubbing his forehead. He was too distracted for work, but he didn't think he was ready to just lunge back into the world like all the others who were grateful to be back from the Snap. Tony was right, though. It wasn't a matter of losing his temper and letting the Hulk out that kept him inside. 

At first, he didn't hear the sound indicating that someone was approaching his lab. Tony had installed all new security protocols, and for Bruce's lab, especially, there were early warning sounds so that he wouldn't be caught off guard. Of course, if he was so engrossed in an experiment or research, Bruce could be as bad as Tony when he was deep in creation, and nothing would penetrate his brain. 

"Dr. Banner," the soft female AI voice spoke. "Dr. Banner, you have a visitor. Dr. Jane Foster is here to see you." 

Peeking up at one of the sensors on the ceiling, Bruce looked confused at first and then checked out his lab to see that he was still alone. For now. 

"Jane's here?" he asked. 

"Yes, Dr. Banner. If you recall, you and Dr. Foster set up a time to meet today. She's back from her research trip, and you both agreed after your lengthy emails and conversations to see each other. Today," the AI reminded him. 

Bruce groaned and let his head fall back then pushed himself away from the table he leaned against and found the nearest reflective surface to check his appearance. He raked his fingers through his hair until the curls bounced back a little neater than before. 

"Great...you idiot, you forgot, and Jane is not a forgiving person for being stood up...shit, you're not really standing her up, she's here..." 

_And now you're rambling, you moron, what the hell is wrong with you? She's a colleague, and you're acting like this is a date...and how is it that you're best friend in the whole world is the most suave man on the planet? I mean, how the fuck haven't you picked up something from him?_

Bruce could hear the tap-tap-tap of Jane's boots coming closer and closer to his lab, and he pulled the one last nerdy white man move and breathed into the cup of his palm and smelled his breath. Okay, yeah, he was okay still. 

Jane walked into the lab as the doors opened at her approach, and Bruce looked up at her right at that moment. Both smiled as if they were in each other's company often, though since the last battle with Thanos and the world getting back to its new normal, Jane had begun working more with the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. with the knowledge that her research and discoveries were her own. It was great for Bruce, though, to have another scientist around, especially since the younger S.H.I.E.L.D. scientists on Coulson's team that he'd met and liked were for all practical purposes retired so they could focus on raising their daughter. 

"Jane, hey!" he greeted and started to hold out his hand to her. 

"Bruce! It's good to see you," Jane said as she approached him with arms open for a hug. 

They went through the awkward motions of switching from hand extended and hug ready to vice versa until they both laughed like the nerds they were. Finally, Bruce wrapped Jane's slight form against his in a hug that felt more like relief and peace and sanity. He was reminded of how touch-starved he was because he'd denied himself physical affection even from friends for years, worried the slightest elevation of his heart rate would be an invitation to the Other Guy to come out and play. Even though his heart now fluttered faster in his chest, he was able to take a deep breath and keep the Hulk back and was reluctant when they both pulled back to avoid further inelegance. 

"So, you're back from Iceland," Bruce stated and then laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, duh...obviously you're back, but...well, how was it?" 

Jane laughed, too, but not so nervous. She didn't even seem to notice Bruce's nervousness. 

She was too busy thinking to herself how _good_ he looked, and that made her pause a little too long before answering him. Yeah, though, for someone who'd been a little toasty after the first of the saving Snaps, Bruce looked completely healed and healthy and damned fine in those jeans. 

"What? Oh...Oh. OH!" Jane responded finally, her eyes snapping up to Bruce's face instead of his ass. Why the hell did no one in the science community talk about how _nice_ his ass looked? "Iceland...yeah. Iceland was...cold. Very cold, but it was really beautiful, especially right now with the Northern Lights. I took tons of photos. So did Darcy, and well, she's...on hiatus right now because she says she deserves a break after being snapped back to life and me putting her right to work." Jane rolled her eyes but smiled when she heard that she made Bruce laugh. 

"Did you...uh. Make it out to New Asgard?" Bruce hedged. He rolled over one of the chairs from one desk so Jane could sit down, which she did, and then he retrieved another and sat down across from her. 

Jane made herself comfortable, taking note that Tony Stark clearly spared no expense for his friend and his lab. Though from all she saw coming in, he spared no expense for any of the reconstructed headquarters for the Avengers. 

"I went there, yeah. New Asgard. It's...gorgeous. Seems to be coming along really well. Brunnhilde's a great regent, and...everyone's thriving, especially since Tony went out to see if he could help with anything they needed. He and T'Challa...and of course, Loki," she finally answered. 

Bruce noticed that she didn't mention Thor. Of course, they'd broken up. He knew all about that. During the time before the Battle of Earth, however, when Bruce was Bruce-Hulk, as Tony liked to call him, he'd found himself in long email and Skye conversations with Jane, who had been frustrated about Thor's state of being after the first Snap. He assumed that she was wanting to rekindle the relationship with the King of New Asgard, but it turns out, she just wanted to re-establish a friendship and travel to New Asgard for some of her research, and as it a sovereign nation and not _just_ Tønsberg, Norway, she had to obtain permission to visit. Finding Thor in the drunken depressed stupor that he remained in for three years hadn't left her with very warm feelings toward him; mostly it was concern and pity and a bit of annoyance that everyone else was finding ways to move on while Thor merely wallowed.

She and Bruce also bitched together that he'd made a complete ass of himself and embarrassed Loki when he'd attended Loki and Tony's wedding _beyond_ shit-faced, laughed or made remarks through the ceremony, and failed at his duties as Loki's best man, and then he puked in the chocolate fountain at the reception after roasting his brother horribly during his best man speech. He hadn't even bothered to be around when his niece was born. It was a wonder that Loki hadn't found a way to end him along with the Black Order. 

"No. Thor wasn't there. He's off with Quill and gang. That's what Brunnhilde said when I asked her where he was. He came back briefly to load up on beer, and then the Guardians plus Thor headed back into space. Supposedly, they're looking for Gamora?" Jane shrugged and then sighed. 

Quickly after, her smile returned, and she left the whole Thor business aside. 

"What about you? Looks like you've been busy, but it's pretty quiet around here right now. Is everyone...out or something?" she asked Bruce and rolled her chair closer so she could reach out and pat his knee. 

Bruce only felt the heat rise to his cheeks and tips of his ears when Jane's hand lingered on his knee longer than the friendly pat and then squeezed gently. 

"I...yeah, I mean, I've been busy. Nothing entirely major. More busywork right now, I think, while some bigger projects are percolating and awaiting results," he tried not to stammer, especially when her fingers almost seemed to caress his knee. "I don't know where everyone is today. I haven't seen anyone since breakfast, and that was..." He looked at the clock for the first time. "...wow. Almost eight hours ago." Bruce had to stop for a second and try to remember if he'd bothered to eat lunch. The slight hunger pang and gurgle told him that he hadn't. 

"Oh wow, you seem pretty surprised by how long you've been down here," Jane remarked and squeezed his knee before finally sitting back. 

His knee was cold when her hand left it. Bruce, and apparently his big green counterpart whom he could feel growling just under the surface of his skin, was greedy and wanted it back. The very human feeling of _want_ swelled up in Bruce in a way that made him sweat. Or made him worry that he was sweating, and then that made him pretty sure he was at the very least close to sweating. 

"Eh. That's pretty typical, actually," he shrugged it off and smiled at Jane. She didn't look at him like he'd grown a second head, so hopefully that growl he felt below the surface hadn't actually been...heard. "Tony's the same way with his projects. And hey...from what I hear about you, you can get just as lost in your work," he replied, the last with a nudge of teasing to his tone that made Jane laugh. 

"Guilty," she confessed. "So, if you haven't eaten since breakfast, you're probably pretty hungry, right? And I'm kinda starving, too, and frankly, I would kill for some American junk food. Don't get me wrong. The food was...interesting and mostly good in Iceland and over in New Asgard...since apparently, Thor decreed that they had to establish pizza delivery as a law, but what really sounds good is..." 

"Katz's Deli," Bruce interrupted and saw the surprise in Jane's eyes. 

"Yeah. That's it. That's exactly what I was thinking. Spooky," she replied and stood up. "Though it's a long drive just for a sandwich..." 

Bruce shot to his feet, too, and hurried over to leave his lab coat on a hook and grabbed his wallet from the tray he'd left it in earlier, tucking it into his pocket with his cellphone right before he shrugged into his winter coat. 

"I could go for a long drive. Stretch the legs...get some fresh air. I haven't been out of the place in a few weeks," he admitted and headed back over to Jane. In his enthusiasm, he just narrowly missed when Jane turned to step closer to him, and they...collided. Just a little bit. Enough that they both reached out to steady each other and found themselves eye-locked for a long breath.

It was like being hit by one of Loki's spikier spells, not quite as potent as Thor's hammer strike lightning but not super subtle either. Then they both laughed. Jane leaned up and brushed a kiss to the corner of Bruce's mouth. Friendly. Yeah...a kiss between friends. Colleagues. Scientists who were definitely friends. 

"Want me to drive?" Bruce asked and then thought better when he considered the traffic in Manhattan. 

"Nah. I got it this time. Next time, you can drive," Jane asserted and tucked her hand around his arm, gently tugging Bruce out of his lab. 

For a second, he felt like a teenager. 

"Next time, huh? I like that...there'll be a next time," he said, moving with her, not really needing to be coaxed too hard. 

Smiling at each other again, Jane's hand slipped from his arm to his hand. 

"Yeah. I think there will be. After all, you've got to tell me more about the projects you're working on, and I can tell you about Iceland," Jane responded while they made their escape to where she'd parked her car. "And we've got a lot of...you know...science we can talk about, so...definitely some next times," she promised. As they headed past a line of windows, she glanced over at them and found herself really happy that Bruce's coat didn't fall too far below his waist. 

Yeah, they could be science buddies, right? Ones that hugged and held hands and...admired each other's asses? Jane was pretty sure that wasn't breaking any rules. 

Bruce just squeezed her hand and walked through the sliding doors with her. 

He wondered if it would be considered bad date etiquette to text Tony on the way to the city to let him know that maybe he didn't need _Stark-dot-Match_ after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Fic title comes from [She Blinded Me with Science](https://genius.com/Thomas-dolby-she-blinded-me-with-science-lyrics) by Thomas Dolby.


End file.
